Phantom Love
by tiannasummer
Summary: A girl meets a mysterious man who has haunted her dreams. Chapter 1 preview- "Such a sad look on that face ...I can't forget it." He smiles as he beckons me closer. I try to forget about him.
1. Chapter 1

**Phantom Love**

Chapter 1 ~HAUNTED

I awake.

Just a moment ago I saw him.

Such a sad look on that face ...I can't forget it.

A blinding white light appears, surrounded in blackness.

I turn, ready to call out.

Then HE appears.

He smiles as he beckons me closer.

I resist, but against my mind's protest my legs continue to walk.

An arm lifts;

Then a hand reaches,

I wait, a little frightened.

We are now mere inches from each other.

The deathly scream comes from behind him, a sound more animal than human.

Terrified, I am able to break away.

He laughs and I stumble, falling to the ground.

My body trembles, scared as he walks towards me.

He smiles as he leans down.

Cupping my face, the warmth from his hand radiates towards me, and for a spilt second I wish that he never lets go.

But he does and we both frown.

My frown quickly turns into amazement as his hand before me turns to dust.

The dust continues to fall.

A sadness sweeps over me, it's then that I realize I don't want him to go.

I try to grab him but it's too late.

The light fades, my head bows to look at the rest of his remains.

And as the last bit of light flickers above, I start to cry because it is then that I truly realize that I am alone...

That dream has been happening for the past week.

Constantly wherever I am, I turn expecting to see him.

Everywhere, I feel his eyes on me.

Who is he to haunt my dreams?

I try to forget about him and it works, until night.

I know it will happen again, and every time I dream I wake and start to cry.

This morning I didn't cry which surprised me a lot, and at the time I never thought anything of it.

However what I didn't know was subconsciously, I knew he had come.

Preview

Chapter 2 ~Him

"Who are you?"

"I needed to know you were safe."

"Ugh! You don't listen to anything I say do you?!"

"Do you trust me?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 ~Him**

I don't know what to do…

I have never met someone like him before.

It is an average Sunday morning

For breakfast I have toast and jam

Then I brush my teeth, and hair, and change my clothes.

My friend May is sick today, and I am supposed to take her shift.

When I finish getting ready, I leave the apartment, and start walking down 22nd Ave to my work.

Suddenly a familiar chill flows through me.

I shiver, as a cold breeze sweeps past me.

I turn to look behind me, but no one is there, so I continue to walk…

I get to work and am even more surprised to see a bouquet of red roses on my desk.

I look around but no one else is here except my other co-workers, Tianna and Emily, and I know Ralph isn't here today so he didn't give me the flowers.

Last year, Ralph gave me chocolates on Valentine's Day, and invited me over to meet his family on Thanksgiving.

It was all very welcoming and I was very happy to be there.

Ralph is a nice man to be with, last week he even asked me to be his girlfriend…

But constantly there has always been that second presence, and in the end I felt I just couldn't answer him.

I pick up the roses and place them to my nose, their fragrance envelops me, and I want to thank the person that gave them.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a card hanging from them.

"That wasn't there before…"

I open it, and read 4 simple words.

"Do you trust me?"

Trust who? I don't even know this person.

An image flashes in my mind…him.

It must be HIM.

Now I'm panicking;

"I didn't even think he was real?!"

I turn; Tianna and Emily are staring at me as if I've grown a second head.

Great they saw me.

I put down the bouquet, beginning to leave, mumbling as I walk past them

"I'm just gonna head to the restroom."

As I exit the office I can still feel their stares,

How humiliating! I must be going insane.

I take a left, (ignoring the bathrooms on the right), the one that leads to the emergency stair case.

I open the door and start to climb.

Five floors later, I finally reach the top of the roof.

Immediately I head straight for the edge.

As I look down on tiny civilians, I try to calm myself, wondering if I will ever get to see him.

Just then, I look down at my feet to see a shadow over-crossing mine, I turn.

The first thing I notice about him is his face; his half faced scar is partly concealed by unruly bangs.

In my dream his hair would be swept back and he would be wearing a mask that half conceals his face.

Even when he doesn't wear a mask, I still can't stop looking at him.

His hazel eyes continue to penetrate me.

"Krissy" he says.

I frown, confused.

"How do you know my name?"

He just stares.

"Who are you?!"

Now I'm getting frightened.

He reaches for me and I step back (forgetting that I'm on the edge), trying to get away.

I start to fall back, but he grabs me, lifting me, and holds me tight to his chest.

I start to cry as I realize what could have happened.

He continues to hold me as I try to piece myself together.

Not just this, but the dream, and the constant worrying that I'm losing my mind.

Everything comes crashing down.

"Krissy, he says "Look at me."

I do, and his face is angled in such a way that the light on his face and eyes look menacing.

I scream, clawing at him, desperate to get away.

He holds me tighter.

"Krissy." He says again.

I only see my one way of escape.

His hold loosens for a second, and I jump.

~Part 2 of chapter 2 is coming

In the meantime here is just the title for Chapter 3.

Chapter 3~Invitation


	3. Chapter 2 2

Chapter 2 part 2~Him

I wake in a bright room

He is there beside my bed, holding my hand.

"You're awake" he states.

I nod, unsure of my voice.

"You seem to be recovering fine, no broken bones."

I nod again.

"How did I survive?" I say, when I finally found my voice.

He looks at me and smiles, squeezing my hand.

"You didn't fall; I caught you in time; though you did have quite a shock, so I took you to the hospital."

"The hospital…" I say.

My boss is gonna be worried sick!

And all those hospital papers! Ugh! I can see it now.

I look at him. His face is calm, though his scar makes it appear dark and menacing.

Many would think his scar makes him ugly, but in fact he is quite beautiful.

"Who are you?" I begin to say.

"I mean, don't you think it's fair that I know your name, since you know mine?"

He looks at me, his hazel eyes smoldering.

"Ok; on one condition."

"What is it?" I ask.

Now, I'm worried.

"You're coming to my place." he says.

My jaw drops, though I know his face is serious.

"I don't even know you! What kind of person do you think I am?!"

He's silent, and I start to think that I said something wrong.

Then he laughs.

"No." He laughs again, bending over clutching his stomach.

"I just wanted to invite you over so we could talk; what did you think? That I was going to kidnap you?"

He laughs again, his voice sounding like a charm of bells.

I blush a deep red.

"I…uh, just thought…uh" I stutter.

My hospital door slams open.

"Krissy!" Ralph yells, from the other end of the room.

"Ralph!"

This is a total surprise.

He opens the curtain concealing my bed.

What is he doing here?

"I needed to know you were safe, I heard you were in an accident…" his voice trails off.

Oh no. What do I do now?

How will I explain to him about the guy who saved me?

I turn to look at HIM, but he's gone.

He was just here a minute ago…

"Krissy? Who are you looking for?" he asks.

"N…no one."

Where did he go?

Ralph looks at me, and then proceeds to ask me questions.

I answer, but meanwhile I'm looking down at my hands, distracted.

Where did he go?

"Krissy." Ralph calls.

"What?"

"You've been ignoring me for the past 5 minutes; wanna tell me what's wrong? Are you sick?" his voice laced with concern as he leans over to touch my forehead.

"I'm fine" I say.

"Are you sure? I could go get one of the nurses?"

"I'm fine! Ugh! You don't listen to anything I say do you?!" I shout suddenly really angry.

Ralph pulls his hand away, worry on his face.

I feel bad for Ralph, he doesn't deserve this.

"I'm sorry…" I whisper

"I don't know what's happening to me today Ralph; maybe you should just go."

"Are you sure?" he asks, looking a little hurt.

"Go." I say.

He steps away but stops, before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"Get well soon" is his last reply.

Then he opens the door and leaves.

Preview

Chapter 3 ~Invitation

"Where did you go?"

"Welcome to my home."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3~Invitation

It is the next day when May calls me at the hospital.

And still no word from HIM.

"Krissy," May says again, grabbing my attention

"I'm so sorry this happened, I should have been there yesterday."

May has been apologizing to me for the last 20 minutes.

"I'm fine May, really."

Am I?

"I just feel terrible at the thought of what could have happened." she tries again.

"I knew I should've co...Ah..ah...achoo!"

"May," I say gently "you need to rest, don't worry about me, just look after yourself."

I hear her hiccup. She usually does it when she's about to cry.

"Don't worry." I state again.

"Just get better and I'll phone you later when I get back home, ok?"

"Ok; but promise me no more roof stunts." she pleads.

"I promise" I say, "I'll be careful".

"You better be" she warns, then hangs up.

Later when I'm about to leave the hospital (I had been discharged); one of the nurses comes in and hands me a letter.

"It's for you, Miss" she says quietly, then leaves.

Who could it be from?

Inside is a plain white card, with neat black letters written on it.

**Krissy**

**Please meet me outside the hospital. I will be waiting.**

**~E**

E?

Who is E?

My heart pounds in my chest, faster than before.

I freeze. It has to be him.

Suddenly I feel my legs start to move; unbidden. Just like in my dream.

The hospital blurs past as I start to walk at a quicker pace, and then start to run.

I ignore my pounding head, and my memory of the doctor's order to not push myself.

"You need rest," the doctor told me "after such a traumatic experience I expect you'd need to take it easy for the next week or so..."

The memory disappears as I continue to run, turn corners, and fly down many flights of stairs.

Heading straight for the main entrance.

When I see it I start to slow; trying to catch my breath.

Last night's questions plague my mind once more.

Where did you go?

Who are you?

Those thoughts fade as I reach for the automatic door.

Then they open…

He turns and smiles, the corner of his eyes crinkling.

I can't help but smile back.

My guardian angel.

He holds his hand out to me and I take it.

"Come." he says.

I nod, and silently follow.

Part 2 is coming soon.


	5. Chapter 3 2

Part 2

We walk in a comfortable silence.

The sky above us turns grey, bringing down my wonderful mood.

"How much further?" I ask.

I didn't expect the trip to be this long.

"Not much further." he says.

Where is he taking me?

As we continue to walk, I now realize we turned down the street where I work.

He makes a quick right and turns down the back alley; then stops.

Is this where he lives?

"In here" he points to the back door and I open it.

Inside it is dark; there are no lights or candles anywhere.

With the light from the alley I can see a flight of stairs.

He starts to head down, keeping hold of my hand.

"Watch your step." he says, as I follow.

I don't like the dark. As a child I never did.

My grip on his hand tightens.

"Is this your home?" I ask.

It is nice...if you LIKE the dark.

"Yes, but you haven't seen any of it yet."

Suddenly he stops and I hear a churning of a door knob.

"Welcome to my home."

The door opens and we step through the threshold; light appears.

The room we step into looks more like a basement apartment.

There is a grey couch on the left side with a coffee table in front of it. The apartment walls are painted a

dark red. On the right of the apartment is a small kitchen, with a stove, fridge, and sink. The kitchen

floor covered in lament tiles; the other half is a dark grey carpet.

I let go of my angel's hand to venture farther into the apartment. Straight ahead is a hallway with a

bathroom on the left and a bedroom on the right, both rooms painted a dark red.

"It's nice" I say at a loss for words.

"You like it?" he asks, coming up behind me and taking my hand.

I nod. Why wouldn't I?

I look down at our hands, entwined together; now nervous, unsure of what to say.

"What's wrong?" he asks me.

I take a deep breath, looking into his eyes.

"Where did you go? At the hospital..."

part 3 coming soon


	6. Chapter 3 3

Part 3

I see his intake of breathe more than hear it, his lips quiver slightly.

I need answers.

I look at him, willing him to tell me.

His answer is quick; I have a hard time catching it.

"I just didn't think you wanted me there when your

friend came,... so I left."

He shrugs nonchalantly like he has nothing else to say.

For a minute my heart swells with relief.

However, I pause, thinking there is something he is not telling me.

"Come" he says and leads me to the couch,

making my decision to trust him.

We sit on either ends of the couch, opposite of each other.

I look at him questioningly.

"You want answers." he tells me.

Finally! He's going to tell me!

"Ok" I start.

"Who are you?"

He has to at least answer me this.

"I'm Eric." he states simply, his eyes smoldering.

Again, talk about distraction.

"A good start," I state simply matching his tone.

"Next question; how do you know me?"

I continue to look at him and see worry cross over his line of vision.

Almost as if he is thinking about something, something he doesn't want to tell me.

"I saw you go up the stairs that day, I followed you up, you looked like you were about to jump, but you

didn't, and when you almost fell I took you to the hospital."

His voice is hesitant making me suspect he is lying.

"I was so worried, Krissy."

He leans over and grabs me, hugging me to his chest.

"Don't leave me. I need you."

Whoa! Change of subject.

"What about my dreams?" I ask, trying to distract him as well as myself.

"Dreams?" he asks still hugging me to his chest, his voice soft, curious.

"My dream's...of you.

I dream you wear a mask.

You have your hand outstretched, and then you disappear"

My voice sounds hoarse, getting softer as I finish my sentence.

He gasps.

I would be shocked, too.

I mean having a dream, and that dream coming true...

"Christine?" he asks me.

He leans back to look me in my eyes.

My eyes widen. Who's Christine?

"I knew you would come back for me!" he says this while crushing me to his chest again.

What?! What the hell is he talking about?!

Preview

Chapter 4 ~Christine

"I'm not Christine"

"But I love you"

"Soon all will be revealed."


	7. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 ~Christine

My head is spinning;

my thoughts in a whirl, as I try to process what's happening.

Christine?! Who is Christine?!

My name is Krissy, not Christine.

Maybe he thought that was my name?

It must be an ex-girlfriend, or maybe he drank before I came over…though he didn't seem like he was drunk.

My mind races…

Or he could be a complete psycho path!

I freeze, feeling a coming wave of nausea.

This is TOO much, my conscious screams at me to run.

Run away!

He releases me and I look at him,

his skin white, pale as a ghost.

His eyes look at me in reverence, he doesn't look away.

Both of us are shocked into silence, frozen in place.

I am mesmerized by him.

His eyes bore into mine, pleading me to stay, to understand.

"I…" he starts again.

"I need you."

He's about to say more but I stop him, raising my hand.

"I'm not who you think." I say,

I try to be calm but I feel my emotions unravel, my unexpected feelings, raw.

"You made a mistake, I'm not Christine."

He looks at me questioningly.

"Explain the dreams, then." He commands.

"I can't." I say "Why does it matter?"

"See it's possible, you could be Christine."

"I'm not Christine!" I say again, louder.

This is ridiculous.

I am angry now.

"Fine, let's say I am YOUR Christine. Tell me about her."

I cross my arms, waiting.

He clears his throat then looks me straight in the eye.

"Christine's my dead lover."


	8. Chapter 4 2

Part 2

Dead!

The last time I checked I was very much alive.

This is nuts!

The dreams, the stress; and now a dead girlfriend!

It was getting late, and this was getting too much.

I start to stand.

"Look; as much fun as this has been I think I need to go."

"You can't!" he shouts. "I can explain!"

He tries to grab my hand again, but I step back.

"If this is a sick joke, you can quit it! I don't need it!"

He blanches, his face turning to fear.

The sweet feeling of earlier has completely disappeared.

I start to head to the door.

"I love you!" Eric says.

What?

"I…" I whisper, at a loss of words.

"I can't…, I don't…"

I back away, and escape.

-Tiannasummer-

I gasp as I reach the top of the stairs, the door thrown open.

I stop, breathe a sigh of relief.

I need rest, some calmness, before a new day.

The sun has begun to set, a beautiful reddish glow.

I walk getting to the edge of the alley, and am about to head back home to my apartment.

I stop, interrupted by 2 men coming into the alley.

They look at me and laugh, sneer.

I back away, getting ready to run back the way I came.

They both lunge, a man on both side.

I run straight and one of them grabs me around my waist, slamming me down on the ground.

Run! My conscious screams. Fight!

I scream.

One of them holds me down and covers my mouth.

"This won't hurt a bit." the first one says.

Then I am hit, knocked out cold.

-Tiannasummer-

I should have told her the full truth, but what could I say.

She just needs time.

I wish this didn't happen, every time it did it only brought heart break.

However, this time I'm ready to tell her everything.

I pray everything goes well.

But something in me warns me it won't.

Part 3 coming soon

Here is the title Chapter 5 ~ Warning


	9. Chapter 4 3

Part 3

I wake to a pounding headache.

I open my eyes to a total blur, an outlined figure watching me.

My eyes try to focus.

The world spins.

And I am gone.

When I wake again, I am alone.

My eyes open wide.

Quickly, I sit up and get out of bed.

The blood rushes to my head, but I quickly ignore it; I'm too confused at how I got here.

How did I get here?

I freeze as all the past moments from before pop up in my thoughts.

"If this is a sick joke, you can quit it! I don't need it!"

"I love you!"

"I can't…, I don't…"

"This won't hurt a bit."

I blanch, as my nerves shake.

I was kidnapped!

I take deep breaths to try to calm myself.

I have to get out of here, a door, there must be a door.

I walk up to it and turn the knob.

Damn! It's locked.

I look around for the next 20 minutes in a panic.

Not to my surprise, all the doors and windows are locked.

My body slumps onto the bed, defeated.

I put my head to the pillow and cry.

Not once in my life have I ever felt this bored as I wait for my kidnapper to return.

There is a dull ache of hopelessness and loss trapped in my chest.

Will I ever get out of here?

At that moment I hear a creak of some stairs, the sound getting closer to my door.

Do I stay or do I go?

Oh! Why didn't I think of a plan?

The door opens slowly, creaking at the hinges.

Though still undecided, I bolt for the door.

An old lady appears at entrance, stepping into the room.

I freeze in place.

Is she my house maid?

She looks friendly enough…at a distance.

Her mouth set in a hard line, jaw strained; her eyes hostile with anger.

Her eyes pierce me as she continues to glare; the word 'evil' comes to my mind.

"Andrews." she says to someone behind her. "Bring me my daughter."

I hear footsteps go up, then silence.

"Who are you?" I ask; feeling slightly intimidated.

Who does this old lady think she is; the wicked witch of the west?

"Where am I?"

"That is not important." she tells me. "Soon all will be revealed."

"I don't…"

I stop when I hear two sets of footsteps walking down the stairs.

"Good you're here." she turns, talking to someone else.

"Andrews. You may go."

She turns back around to face me, stepping to the left to let the person in.

"I believe you've met my daughter."

The person steps into the room, and my face turns to horror.

May.

Preview

Chapter 5 ~Warning

"How can I trust You?!"

"It's not so bad; miss."


	10. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 is finally here!**

Chapter 5~ Warning

"How could you!" I shout at May once we are alone.

"How can I trust you?! I mean, I was freaking kidnapped!" I panic.

I had taken up pacing, back and forth, in the small cell.

May sits on the bed, silent.

"It wasn't completely my fault," she whispers, "I didn't even know about it."

"Why would your mother want to kidnap me?" I ask, puzzled.

I give her a look but she doesn't see it; her head is turned down in shame.

The walls shrink as my head begins to get fuzzy.

I shake it off, determined to be strong this time, to not faint.

She stares at the floor, quiet.

I continue to pace, but the dizziness gets worse.

Why does this always happen to me?

I shake my head, trying to clear the unexpected head rush.

May looks up as I sway; and as I look closer her eyes start to become an undulated color.

Her body sways left, then right.

She falls, her body slumping down on the bed.

My vision worsens, and I know immediately something is wrong.

Sleeping gas!

My chest tightens and I start to fall.

I land hard, the fall knocking me breathless.

Then everything goes black.

-tiannasummer-

"I knew you'd come for her." a voice rings out in the darkness.

"Where is she?" I ask certain she has her.

"She's fine" the voice says. "She's with _my_ _daughter_".

"We had a deal; she wouldn't be a part of this anymore." I say, my voice calm.

"You said she would be safe, that she couldn't see me anymore."

My voice gets louder, angrier.

"You promised it would work!"

My voice echoes off the nearby walls.

"Patience is still not your best suit I see." she says, stretching her arms out.

"Just remember" she says "YOU asked for this."

Then she disappears.

-tiannasummer-

I wake with an enormous headache.

What happened?

I look around the cell, but no one is there.

May!

She is nowhere to be found.

Immediately I hear 2 pairs of footsteps walking down the stairs.

I sit up, ready for action.

The door opens and in walks May's mother and the butler.

"Good your awake." she says smiling "You'll have a new outfit brought to you for tomorrow's event."

"What event? And where's May?" I ask, confused.

The woman shrugs.

"Don't worry, my daughter is totally safe."

She completely ignored my first question.

Rude!

"Just make sure you're ready for tomorrow." she says then leaves.

It's not till she's gone that I realize Andrews is still here, a tray in his hands.

"Don't worry. It's not so bad; miss." he says, handing me the tray.

My stomach growls; food!

I ignore him and walk to sit on the bed.

The door closes.

I uncover the tray, which reveals a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup.

Yum!

When I finish eating I set the tray aside and lay back down on the bed.

My thoughts return to my life before all this mess.

I think about my job and happy life, about Ralph and May.

As I gaze up at the ceiling I promise myself, that somehow I will return.


End file.
